A nomadic community where elders lead and women can build an entire house on their own: let us introduce you to one of the coolest peoples around
In the heart of the African continent, between Kenya and Tanzania, where wildlife meets the grandeur of nature, lives a people as colorful as a Serengeti sunset: the Maasai.
We got to know them up close. We lived among them, took part in the tasks of their community, and experienced their culture firsthand. And all we can say is this: we left a piece of our hearts there, in the Maasai villages.
In this article, we want to help you get to know them better and show you at least a tiny glimpse of this incredible people. And who knows—after reading it all, you may want to get to know them even more and be ready to travel with us to Tanzania for a 10-day journey dedicated to the Maasai Experience.
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Maasai society: everything revolves around the elders
The Maasai have taken the concept of respect for elders to the next level.
You know when your grandfather comes over and takes over the remote to switch to yet another political talk show?
Now imagine that multiplied by a thousand: among the Maasai, the elders are in charge—more precisely, a council of elders who have the final say on almost every aspect of community life, from justice to the major events affecting their society.
They also create the rules for the whole community, based on oral traditions passed down from generation to generation. And they act as judges whenever those rules are not respected.
Pretty powerful, these elders! But how does someone become one of them?
Among the Maasai, the path to the highest levels of society is long and demanding, marked by a wide range of rites and traditions that accompany each passage into a new stage of life.
Basically, a Maasai person goes through 4 stages: initiate, moran (that is, warrior), junior elder, and elder. But in reality, each of these is divided into several additional levels, each involving specific initiation ceremonies that form one of the cornerstones of Maasai society.
We could stay here and describe each of these aspects in detail, but the best way to truly appreciate them is to spend time closely with the Maasai and live a human and cultural exchange experience like no other: exactly what we offer with our Maasai Experience group trip to Tanzania.
Maasai... what an amazing experience, right?
A nomadic people where women are a force of nature
For centuries, the Maasai have been nomadic or semi-nomadic, with a way of life shaped by the needs of their livestock. In their culture, farm animals are not just animals, but true symbols of wealth and social status: for a Maasai, everything revolves around the number of cows, goats, and sheep one owns, and livestock is the beating heart of their economy, culture, and identity.
Times change for everyone, though, and they too are beginning to settle more, adapting their homes and lifestyle to spending longer periods in the same place.
What is especially interesting is that among the Maasai, only men take care of the livestock, their main source of wealth. In short, there are gender roles, but the fascinating part is that the real protagonists are the women: they manage domestic life in every aspect and even build the houses from top to bottom.
And do you know what the most remarkable feature of these houses is?
They are designed to be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere, making it easier to follow the Maasai way of life when grazing lands are exhausted.
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Did you know that, contrary to what many people think, the Maasai also worship one single god?
Out of ignorance, many of us Europeans often tend to believe that Islam, Judaism, and Christianity are the only monotheistic religions in the world, and that all other peoples worship a multitude of deities.
Well, that is not the case at all: for the Maasai too, there is only one supreme heavenly figure, called Enkai, the creator of everything that exists. What is especially interesting is that Enkai can take on many identities depending on mood, which is reflected in a change of color. In particular, the Maasai recognize two: Narok (black), the benevolent one who cares for everyone, and Nanyokie (red), the angry one.
Apparently, in the beginning Enkai lived with humans here on earth. One day, however, he grew tired of it and decided to go up to the sky, taking all the livestock with him. Once there, though, he realized there was no grass at all and thought, “How am I supposed to feed all these hungry cows and goats?” After thinking it over, he came up with the idea of sending them back down to earth, and so all livestock was entrusted to the Maasai.
And that’s that—he stays up there enjoying himself while down here they watch over his cattle.
Acting as intermediaries between Enkai and the Maasai people are the Oloibon, the Maasai priests: individuals appointed by the elders to serve as spiritual guides for their people, with deep knowledge of all the ritual and ceremonial aspects of the community. They are considered almost on the same level as the elders themselves, so much so that their opinion can often influence that of the council.
